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Why do we bass fish?????
I thought about this recently while I was in between bites on Lake Washington on a cold January day recently. Why do I come out here and sit for hours for so few bites and fewer yet rewards of a fish in the boat. Why indeed.
I thought back to my days as a kid. I was very fortunate to have a father who was a tournement bass angler. Even more fortunate to rub elbows with some of the west best bass anglers at a very young age. I got alot of satisfaction of out fishing my older and more experienced angler when I was younger. I loved the competition of beating other guys. Men who were 20 to 40yrs my senior and have fished most of their lives.
After a long period of not fishing, ( 20 years) I finally got a boat and began the pursuit of fishing in Washington. What a world of difference fishing here is. I was humbled many a day out on our local lakes. After a few years of club fishing the competitive fire began to grow again. But this time it was different. It was no longer about fishing against others, it was fishing against the fish themselves.
Not that fishing is easy in other parts of the country, I have had many a tough day on the Delta, Lake Powell, Lake Mead and Clear Lake, it just seems to me that fishing in Washington is extra tough. Or, I'm just extra bad and have to work a whole lot harder to get the few bites I do get. I like to think that is just a little tougher up here in Washington.
With that being said, that is why I now fish, it's against these extra wiley, tough, and downright finncky fish that have taken up residence here. They seem to have captured my attention more than the "beating the other guys in the tournements".
The beating of these fish is why I fish.
Mark
I thought back to my days as a kid. I was very fortunate to have a father who was a tournement bass angler. Even more fortunate to rub elbows with some of the west best bass anglers at a very young age. I got alot of satisfaction of out fishing my older and more experienced angler when I was younger. I loved the competition of beating other guys. Men who were 20 to 40yrs my senior and have fished most of their lives.
After a long period of not fishing, ( 20 years) I finally got a boat and began the pursuit of fishing in Washington. What a world of difference fishing here is. I was humbled many a day out on our local lakes. After a few years of club fishing the competitive fire began to grow again. But this time it was different. It was no longer about fishing against others, it was fishing against the fish themselves.
Not that fishing is easy in other parts of the country, I have had many a tough day on the Delta, Lake Powell, Lake Mead and Clear Lake, it just seems to me that fishing in Washington is extra tough. Or, I'm just extra bad and have to work a whole lot harder to get the few bites I do get. I like to think that is just a little tougher up here in Washington.
With that being said, that is why I now fish, it's against these extra wiley, tough, and downright finncky fish that have taken up residence here. They seem to have captured my attention more than the "beating the other guys in the tournements".
The beating of these fish is why I fish.
Mark
Views: 64
Comment
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Comment by Pat on November 15, 2010 at 6:48pm
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amen!
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Comment by Mark Maderos on February 27, 2009 at 5:54pm
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Today, was a reason why we fish. Beautiful day on the water. Sunshine, good friends and good fish.
Mark
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Comment by Ronald Hobbs, Jr. on February 19, 2009 at 8:58am
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I agree whole heartedly with Mark. It is always against the fish. I always want to catch more, and larger fish. With this attitude even if you take last and you made no mistakes and caught every fish you were capable of and worked your butt off, I feel like I you won. On the reverse side even if you win, it still doesn't mean you beat the fish, there could've been one or two that got the best of you that day. I have been lucky enough to win a couple tournaments but even winning those tournaments I know that the fish still got me. On the reverse side I have had terrible tournaments, but still worked hard, but I knew that I got them, because I knew that was all I was capable of. It is a very different attitude to have and hard to adopt but it has been working for me.
My bass fishing career started at Kapowsin lake in an old leaky aluminum boat with my grandpa. He was from OK and came to WA via SC so bass fishing grew up in his blood. It started like everyone starts, twitching the smallest rapala I could find. Heaven forbid you ever lost one because it took about a month of saving money or begging your parents to buy you another.
The turning point of going full tilt into this sport when at the age of 16 my dad bought Thayne's Aluminum Tracker, and started fishing seriously. We went right into the tournament scene and haven't looked back.
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Great story Chris, aren't parents so cool. We just didn't realize it at the time.
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Comment by Chris Blandi on February 15, 2009 at 10:32am
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I have my mom to thank for teaching me how to fish. She took me fishing, mostly for trout to all the local lakes. Meridian, Angle, Sawyer. She bought our first boats, bought all the gear, and we went often. One day off the dock at Meridian the trout weren't biting . A man on the dock gave me a 4 inch black with chartruese tail powerworm and told me to go throw it in the swimming area. I tossed it around hoping for a bite, and was sold on bass fishing. After that day, every time we went to K-mart or other stores my mom would buy me $50 worth in bass tackle, EVERY time. Its been a fun journey up until now and can't wait to keep on going.
Thanks Mom.
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Comment by Abbottola on February 13, 2009 at 7:07pm
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Well get your first shot at the Freeze Your Ass Blast next weekend! Just an update on Sammamish, I went out yesterday and got 3 with my cousin Flowers. Oddly enough we caught one in 30 feet! Yes you heard right 30... Now it was only a pound or so but it gets the blood pumping just a bit more. Caught them on 1/2 ounce green pumpkin hula grubs, who would have thought right. Just to keep it real, the other two were out of 56 feet. Hope to see each and everyone of you out there to support Evergreen Bass Club. With that 3 fish limit it should be a game of ounces, and should make it exciting for not just a couple anglers but hopefully half the field.
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Comment by Jordan Doucet on February 13, 2009 at 1:11pm
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Going against the fish is one thing, but trying to keep up with Mark Mad, Abbottola and TW is another story. Glad TW will be on my side this year...
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So true Tag. Abby is one tuff stick out on the trail. I just need another year on water, mainly tri-cities and I should be able to taky you down Abbottola. :-)
Mark
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Comment by Tag Watson on February 13, 2009 at 7:07am
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Great blog, Mark, and great responses. I agree about trying to beat the fish. However, in a tournament situation, you're not fishing against the fish.....you're fishing against Abbottola. Good luck!
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When it comes to warm-water fishing in Washington State, we don't have the luxory of high metabolism species 365 days a year. Oh well come winter time, fish still eat and we still fish. Mark your right about not fishing against other anglers but fishing against the fish. Ultimately the end result is just that. The most redeeming quality about fishing for bass in this state, is taking those skills out of state and crushing it! I've only had 3 opportunities to fish down south, but each time has been amazing from what I've learned here. It may sound cliche, but if you can fish well in Wa. you can do even better out of state!
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